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Santander British Grand Prix Preview

Jul 2, 2008 - 1:43 PM

July 6, 2008
Silverstone Circuits Limited 
Northamptonshire, England

Race 9 of 17 in Grand Prix Series

Laps: 60 
Track length: 3.2 miles 
Race length: 191.6 miles


DRIVERS TO WATCH
----------------

Fernando Alonso (Spain)
Team: Renault
2008 Points: 10 (9th)

Began his season with a fourth at Australia and eighth at 
Malaysia, then slipped to 10th in Bahrain also finished 10th in 
Monaco; two-time champion had a tumultuous 2007 season with 
McLaren, but still managed to finish third overall; had the same 
points as teammate Lewis Hamilton, but lost the tiebreaker for 
second place; won four times last season, but relationship with 
team and Hamilton deteriorated after Ferrari spy scandal affair 
and returned to Renault for 2008 season; won consecutive titles 
in 2005-06 with Renault; won six races in 2006 and seven in 2005; 
finished second in this race last year.


Lewis Hamilton (Britain)
Team: McLaren
2008 Points: 38 (4th)

Was involved in a pit road incident with Kimi Raikkonen and 
retired from the Canadian Gran Prix; finished 10th in France and 
slipped to fourth in the standings, 10 points behind Felipe 
Massa; won at Monaco; opened the season with a dominant win at 
Australia then ran fifth at Malaysia and 13th in Bahrain; 
bounced back to finish second at Turkey; had a stunning rookie 
season, scoring podiums in his first nine races; won four times 
and captured six poles to outperform more heralded former 
teammate Alonso; was the favorite to win the championship last 
year until errors in final two rounds dropped him to second 
place behind Raikkonen; needed to only finish immediately behind 
Alonso to claim the championship; retired from the race at China 
to give his teammate and Raikkonen the chance to steal the crown; 
won at Japan to open a 12-point lead over Alonso with two races 
left; made history at Canada where he became the first black 
driver to win a Formula One race; followed that victory in 
Canada by winning the United States Grand Prix; placed second in 
four consecutive races prior to his back-to-back wins; was the 
first rookie since 1964 to capture podium finishes in his first 
three races; ran third here last year.


Nick Heidfeld (Germany)
Team: BMW Sauber
2008 Points: 28 (5th)

Ran second to teammate Robert Kubica at Canada; finished 5.4 
seconds behind Hamilton to claim second at Australia; followed 
up with a sixth at Malaysia, fourth in Bahrain and fifth in 
Turkey; ran 14th at Monaco; was the best of the rest behind the 
Ferrari and McLaren drivers last year after an impressively 
consistent season for BMW, finishing fifth overall; did not win 
last season as best race of the season was at Canada where he 
finished second; had consecutive fourth-place finishes at Italy 
and Turkey and was third in Hungary; opened the year with three 
consecutive fourth place finishes at Australia, Malaysia and 
Bahrain; forced to retire at Spain and the United States Grand 
Prix; has nine top-five finishes in 17 starts last year; ran 
sixth here last year. 


Robert Kubica (Poland)
Team: BMW Sauber
2008 Points: 46 (2nd)

Won his first race at Canada and took over the top spot in the
standings; win at Canada was made more impressive after he was 
injured in a scary crash at the same track a year ago; followed
win at Canada by running fifth in France and dropped two points 
behind Massa atop the standings; finished sixth overall last 
year in his first full Formula One season; opened the season by 
retiring at Australia, but has finished in the top five in every 
race since; ran second at both Malaysia and Monaco; was third at 
Bahrain and fourth at both Spain and Turkey; finished fourth at 
this event last season. 


Felipe Massa (Brazil)
Team: Ferrari
2008 Points: 48 (1st)

Picked up his third win of the season at France to take the lead 
in the standings; rebounded from an awful start to the season by 
winning at Bahrain and Turkey; completed only 29 laps before 
retiring at Australia with engine issues; also retired at 
Malaysia by spinning out early; posted three wins and six poles 
last season, but reliability issues and a disqualification in 
Canada put him out of title contention and he wound up fourth; 
contract with Ferrari runs until 2010; retired from the Italian 
Grand Prix with suspension problems, dropping to fourth place in 
the standings; bounced back from a 13th-place finish at Hungary 
by winning in Turkey; posted a runner-up finish at the Grand 
Prix of Europe after slipping to fourth place following a fifth 
place finish at the British Grand Prix; was runner-up to Raikkonen 
at Magny-Cours and season finale at Brazil; ran third at 
Indianapolis and Monaco after capturing two straight checkered 
flags at Bahrain and Spain; had 11 top five finishes in 17 
starts last season.


Kimi Raikkonen (Finland)
Team: Ferrari
2008 Points: 43 (3rd)

Retired at Canada after a pit road incident with Hamilton and 
dropped to fourth in the standings; finished second at France to 
move up to third; finished ninth at Monaco; opened defense of 
his title by running eighth at Australia, completing just 53 
laps before having engine problems; bounced back to win at 
Malaysia, ran second at Bahrain and third in Turkey; won first 
appearance for Ferrari in Australia last season then went on to 
win five more times; biggest win came at the season-ending event 
at Brazil, which gave him his first drivers title by a single 
point over Hamilton; trailed Hamilton by seven points entering 
final race; retired from the Grand Prix of Europe after 
consecutive checkered flag wins at the British Grand Prix and 
Magny-Cours; had six wins and 14 top-five finishes in 17 starts 
last season; struggled to eighth place at Monaco and retired 
due to electrical problems at Spain, dropping him from first to 
fourth in the standings; joined Ferrari after spending five years 
with McLaren where he went winless in 2006.


2007 Top 10
-----------
 1. Kimi Raikkonen, Finland, Ferrari 
 2. Fernando Alonso, Spain, McLaren-Mercedes
 3. Lewis Hamilton, Britain, McLaren-Mercedes
 4. Robert Kubica, Poland, BMW
 5. Felipe Massa, Brazil, Ferrari
 6. Nick Heidfeld, Germany, Sauber-BMW
 7. Heikki Kovalainen, Finland, Renault
 8. Giancarlo Fisichella, Italy, Renault
 9. Rubens Barrichello, Brazil, Honda
10. Jenson Button, Britain, Honda

Past Champions
--------------
2007  Kimi Raikkonen, Ferrari
2006  Fernando Alonso, Renault
2005  Juan Pablo Montoya, McLaren-Mercedes
2004  Michael Schumacher, Ferrari
2003  Rubens Barrichello, Ferrari
2002  Michael Schumacher, Ferrari
2001  Mika Hakkinen, McLaren-Mercedes
2000  David Coulthard, McLaren-Mercedes
1999  David Coulthard, McLaren-Mercedes
1998  Michael Schumacher, Ferrari
1997  Jacques Villeneuve, Williams
1996  Jacques Villeneuve, Williams
1995  Johnny Herbert, Benetton
1994  Damon Hill, Williams
1993  Alain Prost, Williams
1992  Nigel Mansell, Williams
1991  Nigel Mansell, Williams
1990  Alain Prost, Ferrari
1989  Alain Prost, McLaren
1988  Aryton Senna, McLaren
1987  Nigel Mansell, Williams
1986  Nigel Mansell, Williams
1985  Alain Prost, McLaren
1984  Niki Lauda, McLaren